This updated biography traces Longfellow's life from his Maine upbringing and education at Bowdoin through academic appointments and major publications such as Evangeline, The Song of Hiawatha and his translation of Dante. It notes two marriages, the death of his second wife in a household fire, his shift from university duties to full-time writing, and his reputation as a poet who appealed to general readers more than to avant-garde critics.

Overview

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was one of 19th-century America's most popular poets. Born in Portland, Maine, he became a scholar, a university professor, a translator and a poet whose accessible storytelling verses - from Evangeline to Hiawatha - shaped the American reading public for generations.

Early life and education

Longfellow grew up in Portland, the son of a lawyer. He entered Bowdoin College as a teenager and completed his undergraduate studies there before beginning an academic career. Shortly after graduating he traveled to Europe for further study and cultural immersion, a trip that influenced much of his early writing and translations.

Academic posts

On returning to the United States he accepted an academic post in modern languages and published essays and translations in periodicals such as the North American Review. In 1835 he moved from Bowdoin to Harvard University to take a professorship in modern languages and literature, a position that increased his visibility as a teacher and scholar.1

Marriage and personal life

Longfellow married Mary Storer Potter in 1831. The couple travelled to Europe together, but Mary died while they were abroad; the event deeply affected Longfellow and his work.2 In 1843 he married Frances Appleton. Their marriage and her tragic death in 1861 - when she suffered fatal injuries in a household fire - became defining moments in his later life. Longfellow narrowly escaped serious injury while attempting to rescue her, and the loss cast a long shadow over his subsequent writing.

Major works and later career

Longfellow's early books included translations and travel sketches. Outre-Mer (1835) collected impressions from his European journeys. His 1839 Voices of the Night contained the widely reprinted "A Psalm of Life." Ballads and Other Poems (1841-42) brought popular pieces such as "The Wreck of the Hesperus," "The Village Blacksmith," and "Excelsior."

Evangeline (1847), a long narrative poem about Acadian exile, brought him lasting fame. He later published The Song of Hiawatha (1855) and The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858), both of which drew on American subjects and legend. In mid-career he secured enough income from his writings to reduce his university commitments and focus on literature full time.3

In the 1860s Longfellow turned to translation and longer dramatic and religious pieces. His English translation of Dante's Divine Comedy was a major project and attracted wide attention. Later collections included Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863) and the Christus trilogy, which grouped works such as The Golden Legend with later pieces exploring spiritual themes.4

Reputation and legacy

Longfellow never sought experimental forms or intense lyric introspection. Critics have long noted that his strength was craftsmanship and an appeal to common feeling rather than radical originality. His poems were enormously popular in the United States and abroad during his lifetime and helped establish the idea of an American poetic voice for a broad readership.
  1. Confirm Longfellow's Bowdoin graduation year and the precise dates of his first European trip.
  2. Verify the location and circumstances of Mary Storer Potter's death while abroad.
  3. Confirm the year Longfellow accepted the Harvard professorship (commonly cited as 1835) and the year he formally resigned his teaching duties.
  4. Verify the publication years and dates for his translation of Dante's Divine Comedy and late collections (including Christus and Ultima Thule).
  5. Confirm exact publication years for Ballads and Other Poems (often cited 1841-42) and related early volumes.

FAQs about Longfellow

What are Longfellow’s best‑known poems?
Some of his most famous poems include Evangeline, The Song of Hiawatha, The Village Blacksmith, The Wreck of the Hesperus and A Psalm of Life.
Did Longfellow teach at Harvard?
Yes. Longfellow accepted a professorship at Harvard in the mid-1830s where he taught modern languages and literature before eventually focusing on writing full time.
Did Longfellow translate Dante’s Divine Comedy?
Yes. In mid-career he produced an English translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, a significant scholarly and literary undertaking that drew considerable attention.
How did personal tragedy influence Longfellow’s life?
The early death of his first wife while abroad and the accidental death of his second wife, Frances Appleton, in a household fire in 1861 profoundly affected him and his later work.
Why is Longfellow important in American literature?
Longfellow helped popularize poetry in 19th-century America by writing in clear, narrative forms that appealed to a large readership. His blending of European forms, translations and American subjects helped shape a broadly accessible national literature.

News about Longfellow

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Bain Capital Real Estate and Longfellow Real Estate Partners Complete $72.5 Million Sale of Class A Life Science Property in Greater-Boston Area - Bain Capital [Visit Site | Read More]

Tony Danza, Michael Longfellow, Thomas Sadoski to Lead Industry Reading of Ben Andron's Broken Snow - Playbill [Visit Site | Read More]